Seeing Grey: Rewritten
by SeeingGreyRewrite
Summary: "At the battered age of thirteen, Remus Lupin is accepted to Hogwarts with the arrival of a new Headmaster. Surviving lycanthropy, the Underground werewolf community, the Marauders, and the arrival of the Dark, Remus is in for one rough fight." More info in Disclaimer.
1. Part I Wane

Disclaimer: **THIS STORY IS NOT MINE. I don't own any of this story.** "Seeing Grey" was an old favorite of mine, from when I first starting frequenting this site in 8th grade (very long time ago). A few years back I decided to revisit it and was dismayed to find that there were no quotation marks around spoken words. This has bothered me (and from what I saw of reviews left on the original story, many of you as well) enough to hinder me from rereading the story in its entirety - sad because "Seeing Grey" is such a great and unique story, enough so that I've been unable to find another quite like it anywhere. I decided to rewrite the story, keeping everything the same, barring the addition of quotation marks. After multiple failed attempts to contact the author, I gave up the idea for a while before recently deciding to go ahead and do it.

In an effort to keep this as kosher as possible, I'm including (in my bio) links to the author's page, as well as the original story; and if you enjoy reading this, I strongly encourage you to leave your likes over there where they belong. Thanks!

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Seeing Grey - Part I - Wane

A crash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the outline of a fast-moving figure in the streets. Cloak drawn over his entire body, the man stepped under a tavern doorway before slipping inside. Rain poured down without mercy outside and a very sodden Remus Lupin sat down on a stool at a crowded bar.

"Hey, no kids," the bartender snapped as Remus lowered his hood. For thirteen he was very tall, strongly built, and mature looking, but not close enough to count as legal.

"Mister, I have nowhere to go until the rain stops. I'm not drinking so what the hell's the problem?"

"This place is fer payin' customers only," he said over the hustle as the crowd cheered. A television in the center of the car revealed a Muggle football game that had the attention of most of the men. Many of them were yelling in drunken slurs and shouting hysterically over a referee's call.

Remus emptied his damp pockets, slapping down a few pound notes. The bartender peered at him for a moment, but pocketed the cash for himself. He smiled at the tattered, hooded boy and shrugged a little.

"May I have a soda, or some food?" He asked after his stomach gave a violent lurch.

"We ain't got nothin' but steak and water for you."

"Alright then," he replied, scurrying for enough money to pay the bill. A few minutes afterward a plate was shoved in front of his face, a less-than-perfect slab of meat and a cup of uniced water. Cautiously, he poked at the fork, and snatched his back quickly, sucking on the finger as though stung. Much to his luck, his actions were not noticed, and he slipped the sleeve of his cloak over his hand before touching the silver utensil again.

"Haven't eaten lately, eh?" the man asked, wiping out a glass. Remus's face was already covered in sauce, and he was quickly and savagely devouring the small portion of meat.

"I'm just hungry," he mumbled, slowing down a little. Within minutes his meal was gone, and he was left to wait out the storm on his own. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out one of the few possessions he had brought with him, a small calendar, and frowned.

 _August 25th? How will I get there on time, it's been so hard this far…_ Remus mused. With a deep sigh he checked off another date on the calendar in red pencil.

"Hey, you a'right lad?" one man asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Just tired…I've been traveling, for a while," he stammered. The old and slightly drunk man raised an eyebrow and tilted Remus's chin up idly.

"You look kinda sickly, worn and beaten. Get in a fight or summin'?"

It was very true and Remus knew it. Remains of scars lingered underneath his shaggy, unwashed hair and his eyes were shadowed with worry.

"No, I told you, I'm just tired. I haven't slept in a few days."

The man mumbled something, and left as his team scored a goal and the crowd erupted into a fit of yelling all as one.

"Excuse me, mister?" Remus asked, trying to get the bartender's attention once again. "Do you know of any inexpensive inns around here? I need a place to stay for the night."

"'Cho a runaway or sumthin'?" he asked hand teetering near the telephone for a moment.

"No sir, I'm visiting my mother, she's ill. I just need to bunk one night before I go visit her," he lied.

"Where at?"

"South Georgetown Hospital, sir." Remus said nervously. The man's hand moved back to cleaning the glasses and he looked convinced enough.

"The Green Dragon, righ' up the street. Sweet old granny runs the place, she'll give ya a room for free if you clean up after yourself."

Remus nodded his head and stood up.

"You ain't going out in that storm kid, are you?" he yelled. Remus had already opened the door and stepped outside by the time he heard, and his only response was pulling his hood tighter around his face.

"Hello sonny, what can I do for you?" A short old lady, in her eighties with the mass of gray hair to prove, smiled warmly as he walked inside the small inn. Pulling down his saturated hood, he returned the smile and bit his lip.

"Can I get a room ma'am? I'll only stay for the night, I'm leaving very early and - "

"Certainly sonny, no problem at all… No money I take it?" she asked as he stepped up to the desk. Without waiting for a reply, she dug into a drawer and handed him a rusty gold key.

"Right up the steps, room twelve. If you need anything don't be shy to ask, I'll be up all night tending to the others." She pat him on the head and pointed to the staircase.

"Thank you ma'am."

"Not a problem, not at all. Please don't be afraid to ask if you need anything."

Climbing the creaky steps and fighting with a very old lock, Remus dragged himself gratefully into the fire-lit room. He threw his bad down in the corner, sat on the edge of a neatly made bed, and stared at the flame for a few minutes.

"Almost feels like a home," he mumbled, lying down and shutting his eyes. Briefly images of his mother flashed before his face and ones of his elder brother. "All it needs is a family."

Remus frowned to himself, trying to wedge out of the soaking cloak and sweatshirt.

"Not that I ever had one," he added. After an unsuccessful motion to wriggle free of his shirt and pants, he landed on the wooden floor with a thump.

"Stupid things," he grunted. Minutes later, he was lying with only his shorts under the thick quilted blanket, watching unsettling dreams of far off forests and a lone wolf.

* * *

"Hey! Hey, you get back here!"

Remus bolted off, grabbing frantically to gather his cloak. Turning down an ally, he jumped up to an old emergency escape ladder and plowed through a window to an abandoned apartment with his inhuman strength. Having an unnatural physique was the only advantage to werewolfism, he noted with a smile. He grinned and peered over the edge of the window. Below, he heard the shouting of a town merchant and a few people he had rallied on the streets. Biting into one of his stolen fruits, he smiled in a guilty manner.

"Hey, you damn kid! Get your ass back here!" he bellowed, looking around for the missing thief. Kicking at the dirt path, he turned around, swearing all the while as he returned to his produce stand.

"Hey, a guy's gotta eat," Remus told no one, starting on a banana.

* * *

"Excuse me? Hello, can you - Sir? Hello, do you - Excu - Hey, can you dir - Which way is - " Remus jumped to the side as he was nearly flattened by a trolley of luggage. All around him people butted by, pushing their belongings and running about frantically, ignoring the lost boy entirely. He sighed and looked at the ticket in his hand.

 _Where is my bloody platform?_ he mused, looking at the Platforms Nine and Ten signs in front of him. He was about to give up and go back to the streets, but a brief passage of conversation caught his attention.

"…We'll be killed this year without a decent Keeper. Bloody Slytherins knock us off every year."

Running to catch up with the band of trunk-toting boys, Remus tapped one black haired boy on the shoulder.

"Hogwarts, ai? You're kind of big for a first year, aren't you?"

"Pete, mind your own damn business," the other black-haired boy snapped, blue eyes dancing. "Sorry 'bout him, he's a right-o prat sometimes," he said. The first boy nodded and led Remus through the platform to the Hogwarts engine.

"Well, he is kind of right, you are a smidgen tall for a firstie," he noted.

"I just moved in the area," he lied quickly, holding his satchel tight. The three boys gave him an odd look, but lost attention as their parents came to wish them goodbye. The first boy though, who Remus would learn was James Potter, stayed behind as the others hugged their relations and promised not to get expelled or kill any Professors.

"Where are your parents?" James asked, stepping onto the train and taking a seat in the middle compartment. Remus stood in the doorway, looking out the window at all the families, and sighed.

"I don't really have a family in the manner you would expect. I live with my brother…" He said quietly, beginning to go off for his own seats away. James grabbed him by the back of his torn and patched cloak, and pulled him down.

"Stay a while," he said with a shrug as the others came in with their trunks and brooms, one boy playing with a lost owl.

"So who are you anyway?" the handsome boy asked.

"Remus Lupin" came the small reply.

"Well I'm Sirius Black. That's James Potter, and the stupid git to my left is Peter Pettigrew in all his idiocy," Sirius said with a smirk, playfully shoving the short, chubby brown-haired boy.

"Leave him alone Sir," James muttered, helping Peter regain his balance. A little voice alerted them that the train would be departing and that all belongings should be secured.

"Hey Remus, where's all your stuff?" James noted, looking about for a fourth trunk or suitcase. Biting his lip, Remus tucked the satchel out of view, and acted as though he hadn't heard anything. James stared at it blankly and raised his eyebrows.

"Where's the rest of it?" he asked, looking again under the seats.

"That's all I have," he mumbled softly. For a moment the three other boys stared at him, but then decided it was none of their business. Sitting down, they waited as the train began to move and heard they would be arriving at Hogwarts in approximately three hours.

"So, er, Remus… Why're you starting Hogwarts so late?" James tried several minutes later as Sirius and Peter went off to chase down a few girls.

"I used to live in Canada, but my father died, so I moved back here with my elder brother," he lied, shrugging a bit. James just muttered and looked around for something to do.

"Play any Quidditch?" he asked after spotting his own broom above the seats, tucked away.

"Never have," Remus said shortly. The snack cart strolled in a few minutes later and James eagerly bought a stash of candy and cakes. After all his travels, Remus was flat broke and just bit his lip.

"'Cho wan' som'in?" James said thickly, halfway though a pastry. Smiling slightly, he nodded his head.

"These are kinda good," he said ten minutes later, on his second bag of Every Flavour Beans and unwrapping a Chocolate Frog.

"Uh huh. 'Cho 'ave um b'fore?"

"Not very often… We never have the money to buy sweets," he said, cheeks tinting red. James remained indifferent and thought nothing of it as he swallowed his treat.

"When my parents died, they left me a whole lot of money. I've always had everything I wanted, so… If you ever want something, just ask. Don't worry about it," he assured. "I'm loaded."

"Well anyway, are you going to Hogsmeade this year? You _are_ a third year, righ'?"

"Yes, but I don't think I can go, exactly… I've had trouble with legal guardians lately, with the parent situation," he said, shuffling his feet a bit and gazing out the window at the passing landscape.

"Eh, Dumbledore'll let you go."

Taking in a breath sharply, Remus simply nodded. _This is such a mistake… I shouldn't be here, I shouldn't be making friends. They'll desert me, as soon as they find out…_

"Jamsie! Sarah wants to talk to you for a minute!" Sirius had stuck his head back into their compartment, a pretty blonde giggling behind him. He shoved the sliding door open, and James drug himself into the room full of pretty girls. He came back a moment later, face flushed, eyes locked on his feet.

"Are you alright?" Remus inquired quietly, nibbling on the remains of a Cauldron Cake.

"Oh? Hm? Me? Yes… Just fine," he said, still blushing furiously. Remus shrugged and decided to catch up on his lost sleep.

* * *

"Hey, new kid… Wake up."

Someone was shaking Remus and he snapped back to reality. Wiping away a bit of drool, he gathered up his satchel and headed out of the train into a flood of chaotic students.

"Find Dumbledore…" he muttered to himself, remembering the directions. After much shoving and jumping, he managed to catch a glimpse of the smiling elder. After a brief greeting, he was led off by private carriage to the school.

"Headmaster, sir, are you positive this is safe?" he said after an uncomfortable moment. Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head.

"We've taken every precaution to ensure the safety of the students. And of yourself… Do not worry, everything will be fine."

Remus swallowed, hoping beyond everything that he would not let it slip. _As long as I don't make any friends I'll be fine,_ he reminded himself.

"I've alerted a few of the professors you will have this year and the Infirmary is fully prepared to move you about every month." Kind blue eyes gazed into Remus's and he felt oddly optimistic about the whole situation.

"Now, on a more cheerful note," the Headmaster said, resting his hands on his lap. "You are to be Sorted at the end of the first years, like a normal student. Which you are," he reminded. "I wish you luck Mr. Lupin, and do try to made a few friends this year. From what Romulus tells me your are quite the lone wolf." He smiled warmly as the carriage stopped and shuffled the boy out the door into the castle. He was greeted by a young, irritable raven-haired woman yelling at the first years to hush themselves. After a few odd glances and an explanation, he was following the mob of four-foot mages into the castle.

"I do hope this all works out," Dumbledore muttered thoughtfully as the gigantic doors closed themselves.

* * *

"Zalbash, Cameron!"

Remus choked on his breath, a cold sweat breaking out all over his face. As his name was called and he walked forward, a ripple of whispers spread throughout the Great Hall. He caught James's eye and looked away sharply as he sat on the stool, waiting for McGonagall to give him the hat.

"Mr. Lupin is joining the third years, he moved from Canada," she said shortly, placing the tattered headpiece over Remus's eyes.

 _Ah, a werewolf?_

He nearly fell off the stool in fright. His eyes went blank and his heart was threatening to tear through his flesh. Surely the school had all heard? But he noted with relief that no one was shouting, nor did anyone appear to be frightened. Peter Pettigrew, the shy bullied boy, even smiled up at him encouragingly.

 _They cannot hear you,_ the hat whispered in his ear.

 _Oh,_ he thought, catching on the the mind tap.

 _To be burdened with such a curse has given you much to debate. You have a strong desire to fit in at all costs and would do well with Slytherin for that._

 _That would be nice. Those boys wouldn't become my friends then, they couldn't find out about my problem._

 _But you have a great mind and you're loyal to a fault. You could do well anywhere._

 _Put me where I will have a lesser risk of being discovered. I have five years to go here, I do not need the extra risk._

 _I would say Slytherin, but they will destroy you if you ever were revealed,_ it mused. _Or Hufflepuff; they would not hold a grudge for what you are, they will stay true._

 _Then put me there._

 _No, it would not work. You want to be with your friends, deep down. You need to,_ it said, smiling to itself.

 _I want Slytherin or Hufflepuff._

 _Are you prepared to take that risk? It will decide the rest of your life._

Before Remus could think of a protest or tell it off, the hat declared his fate.

* * *

A/N: This was originally going to just be for my own benefit - something to keep on my computer - but I figured I'd post in case anyone else was interested, and I hope that's the case! I'll try to get at least one chapter up per week, but I can't promise anything. Also, this my be taken down because I'm pretty sure it's violating something in the terms of this site; but until then, enjoy!

 **Final Disclaimer** The only editing I did for this chapter was:

I added quotations around all spoken words

I italicized thoughts

I changed the word "soccer" to "football" in the beginning, to make it more plausible

I took out multiple commas where I thought necessary

I corrected any obvious misspellings

I made slight changes to paragraphical format

Any other grammatical mistakes were left as they appeared. I want to keep the story as close to the original as possible, changing only those necessary elements to make it a little more readable (I even left "werewolfism" in there - can't express how difficult it was for me to not change it to lycanthropy). If I've missed or made other spelling mistakes, etc. please feel free to let me know! Thanks.

 **Again, please leave any comments/reviews not pertaining to spelling/grammatical mistakes on the original author's story!**


	2. Part II Moonshine

Disclaimer: **THIS STORY IS NOT MINE**. I do not own any of this story. Edits are listed below the chapter.

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Seeing Grey - Part II - Moonshine

Remus Lupin shut his eyes and removed the Sorting Hat from atop his head. Placing it back on the stool he walked slowly, as if on death sentence, towards the Gryffindors. A few were clapping, many were giving him puzzled looks, but he didn't see them. He only saw the cheerful eyes of three boys, sitting side by side and shoving someone away to give him a seat. This, this House, is where it would all end, he thought. This is where his life would shatter.

"Hey Remus, welcome to the Lions," James said with a smile, motioning for him to sit down. Ruefully he took the seat and watched as Dumbledore took the stage.

"Hello students, my name is Albus Dumbledore… Headmaster Dippet unfortunately had to resign due to a few mental health issues…" He watched as a few older students cackled at themselves, knowing perfectly well he quit because of the chaotic pupils. "So I'll be taking over this year," he added as the laughter died down. "There won't be any major changes, none at all I say. I'm just here to pretend I'm running things so the Ministry won't cut our funds." He smiled and a few of the students returned the gesture. "Seeing as none of you likely care about me or anything I'm saying, on with the feast!"

Remus's eyes danced as the food appeared. Smiling widely for the first in a long time, he took a slab of meat going around the table.

"Like steak do you?" Sirius said, eyebrows raised high. In three minutes, he had already devoured more food than most of the seventh year boys would in three meals.

"Ish goo'," he said thickly, swallowing the rest of a large portion of ham.

James said, shaking off an eerie feeling. After a long silence, James and Sirius began to make bets on how long the new Headmaster would last before the school drove him insane.

"I dunno, he is pretty tough. Ninety-two years going strong and all the stuff about him in history books. I think he might stick around for a while…" Peter offered.

"Yeah, well, what would you know? You sit around all day with your nose in old war books like another's about to happen. No sense of reality," Sirius snapped, frowning. "I say a year, tops. He's old and likely to get tired of us real quick."

"You're on," James declared, shaking to confirm the bet.

"When do we get class schedules?" Remus asked after whooping down his fifth serving of meat.

"Tomorrow morning most likely, if we have classes. Last year they gave us an extra day off, Dippet was sick or something."

"No you prat, he was in the hospital, ulcers again!" Sirius reminded. "Remember? We caused them… at the Welcoming Feast we cursed the Slytherins - "

"Aright, alright, I remember…" Peter mumbled. He rolled his eyes and went back to poking at his dessert with a solemn face.

"Anyway, what classes did you sign up for?" James asked as they started the trek up to the Gryffindor tower.

"Divination and Ancient Runes," he said after a moment of thought. It had seemed so long ago that the owl had brought news that he would be able to join Hogwarts.

"Ah man, the two worst classes! Why didn't you take Care of Creatures? It's a blow away, all you have to do is feed a few little winged rats -"

"And risk getting your hand bitten off," Peter interjected.

"Shut up Peter, what would you - "

"Sirius, leave him ALONE!" James yelled, startling a pack of nervous first years in front of them.

"Animals don't really like me… Besides, I'm a whizz at Runes. My brother Romulus really liked it, so I studied all his books since I could remember," Remus replied a while later as the question was brought back up.

"Romulus Lupin?" a very tall boy nearby asked, over-hearing. "Cool, didn't know he had a little brother…"

James and Sirius went on about various professors to watch out for for a while, but he didn't hear most of what they said. He was too busy letting everything sink in, soaking up every detail of the school and its appearance. His entire life he had dreamed of coming here, knowing he couldn't. Dumbledore had made it possible.

"So just make sure you don't piss him off," Sirius concluded, stopping as the Fat Lady allowed them to enter. Remus crawled inside, a visual hunger, and just stood, amazed at what he saw.

"Come on you stupid git, we have to get our things unpacked," said Sirius, pulling him by the back of his robes up a spiral staircase into a magnificent dorm.

"This… This place is amazing!" he said aloud.

"It's nothing," James mumbled, accustomed to his very rich house.

But for a boy who had grown up on the streets of poor villages and in the beds of strangers, a true place of his own was a dream come true. Dropping his satchel at the foot of the empty bed, he smiled very wide and remained standing in a daze.

After a few minutes, another boy came in and introduced himself as Alex Avery. Remus smiled politely and shut his eyes. _I swear to God I won't mess this up Rom, I can't._

* * *

 _Rom,_

 _Sorry I didn't write earlier, I didn't have access to any owls during the travel. I made it alright and I barely had to steal anything, so no worry. Hogwarts is magnificent, it's everything you said it would be! And I think I might have a few friends now, much as the thought frightens me. I'm going down to Hogsmeade tomorrow to get a few things, the gave us an extra day, or so a Prefect told us a bit ago. I'll write to you when I can, I have to go. Some of the boys are planning a game and it sounds really fun._

 _Seeya,_

 _Rem._

He tucked the note into his breast pocket and hopped the staircase into the Common Room. Since classes had been cancelled tomorrow so Dumbledore could hold a staff meeting, the entire Gryffindor house was having a sort of party, beverages and snacks going around like an epidemic. Remus was partially less cheerful than the other Gryffindors, as he knew the staff meeting was about his lycanthropy. But he was intrigued by the game James and his friends were playing nonetheless. A small band of pajama clad boys were gathered in a circle, playing what they dubbed "Exploding Snape" after a very unpopular Slytherin boy in third year.

"What'd he do to deserve such an entertainingly evil fate?" Remus asked, smiling as the little figure of a black haired boy blew up in a bout of miniature flame.

"He's a stupid git. All Slytherins are prats," Sirius said shortly, biting his tongue and planning his next move. The game was a bit like chess, with each boy commanding various models of old Aurors and hero mages, while they opposed a rike of Snapes.

he asked in complete naivety.

"They just are," Sirius mumbled, annoyed at his lack of knowledge on the subject. Peter did a trademark roll of his eyes, and wiped his glasses free of smoke and ash from the exploding figures.

"They're really… Well, to put it nicely, they're bastards. Complete bastards," he tried, frowning. "Every one of the lot ends out evil or killing someone. General rule of thumb you'd be wise to follow…" he advised. "Don't get in their way. They'll do anything to get what they want and I wouldn't trust them with the time of day," Peter said as the Gryffindors all nodded. Except, Remus noted, James. He was fidgeting slightly, looking down at his feet in an uncomfortable manner. Remus himself felt slightly insulted, as he had not a few hours ago begged to be put in Slytherin and had almost been placed so.

"Hey, they aren't all bad…" James said in a voice so quiet no one heard. Remus thought none of it and merely memorized the game strategy of Exploding Snape for a few moments. After three rounds he offered to take hand as King James, to the amusement of many. They laughed thinking there was no way a novice could take the role as King. They were soon coughing up numerous sickles and various treats as the werewolf smiled his content at winning six straight rounds, capturing all but one Snape.

"Some kind of genius…" Sirius whispered to James. They smiled to themselves and raced off to a corner for a rushed conversation, coming back again as though nothing had happened. Peter groaned and rolled his eyes once more.

"What are they doing?" asked Remus as James and Sirius began to cackle maniacally about something.

"Plotting. Plotting a plot that will in the end result in me having a detention to clean the dungeons," he moaned, shaking his head. "They _always_ get me in trouble! Sometimes I seriously regret every saying hello to them first year. You should take my advice and start hanging out with Alex Avery… He never gets in trouble," Peter said with a scowl.

"I take it they're the resident pranksters?" Remus concluded after a moment of Peter rambling on about various mishaps.

he blurted out all at once, scaring his King off the board.

"God, all they _do_ is pull pranks! And they seldom get away with it. I don't mind the jokes, half the time I have a bit of fun helping out (if they let me), but I'm sick of having so many detentions. I can't get my homework done, I never have time to do it all when I'm cleaning whatever classroom any given night," said Peter with a mournful, regretting face. He moved his King back into play, but frowned even deeper as Remus made one quick move and ended the game without his assistance.

"How'd you catch on so fast?" a boy asked quietly from behind. A pack of seventh years were gathered around, curious at the new Grand Master Snape Destroyer.

Remus tried as they sat down across him at the table.

"Here, let me get _my_ set. I made the Snapes a tad cleverer (untrue to reality I'm afraid) so you won't win. This is a kiddy set, no wonder you're good."

Ten minutes later, Remus's pocket was growing considerably heavier by the moment as sickles and even a galleon were being waged against him winning one more match. But as it turned out, no one could produce an infantry of Snapes intelligent enough to evade his miniature bombs and curses.

Alex Avery mumbled, the clock behind them striking out three in the morning. James and Sirius finally came back, with identical stupid grins plastered on their faces, a few minutes later. By four o'clock in the morning, Remus decided he should get some sleep.

His friends didn't come into the dorm for a very long time and Remus could have sworn he heard a very healthy riot going on downstairs that involved his name.

* * *

"Yes? How…" the shop tender trailed off, tutting to herself. Motioning for Remus to stand up on a box before he had the chance to ask for the secondhand department, he just shrugged, figuring his Snape winnings could afford him some decent clothes for the time being. A few minutes later and his shabby cloak was tucked inside a box, a much nicer one about his shoulders.

"Hey, that looks helluva lot more Gryffindor," Sirius said with an approving nod, fingering the silver lion clasp at the throat of his new cloak. Remus swallowed tight. He had forgotten to request bronze clasps.

 _And I'm going to have helluva time getting it off,_ he thought wearily.

After a drink of butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks, Remus and Peter were dragged off to an odd-looking store titled Zonko's that had a grand opening sign hanging high above. Some time later they were shoving through a crowd to get inside. James's and Sirius's eyes lit up upon entering and they dashed off.

"Oh no…Oh Lord, I'm going to be _expelled_!" Peter whined, putting down a box of Self-Light Rocket Pops. To himself only, Remus snickered in a very evil sort of fashion. It was oddly satisfying to see Peter so generally, well, mad.

"I'm going to go for a bit of a walk," he said after buying a few Dragon Dung Stink Bombs with his Snape winnings and stuffing them in his satchel. The chubby Gryffindor moaned about detentions with Carlison and went off to be depressed by himself.

* * *

With a heavy sigh, Remus gazed at the small brown shack that was built just for him a ways beyond the line of Hogsmeade view. He was sitting atop a cabin roof, chin on his knees, as he had done so often in his travels.

"Rom, you wouldn't believe this place," he muttered aloud, looking even further away at the Whomping Willow, as Dumbledore had called it.

 _All these measures just to make sure I don't kill anyone else,_ he thought to himself, sliding towards the edge of the roof.

In a graceful, practiced motion, he hit the ground softly without taking any shock to himself. For a while he just walked about in the afternoon sun, enjoying the comforting thought of having a steady place to stay for a while. Back at the outskirts of the main shopping village, he saw someone he immediately recognized as the model for Exploding Snape. Or at least he thought it was Snape, but it couldn't be, he thought. Snape, who he knew from the Gryffindors, was a slimy bastard that didn't care one way or another for anyone. And here the boy was, helping a pretty redhead out of the mud. Certainly she wasn't a Slytherin, so he didn't immediately understand the kindness from such a supposed bastard.

A second later he felt guilty, ashamed of himself. He had been under the horrible cruelty of being treated by werewolf standards since he was a child; always judged before anyone knew him. And here, he was doing the same thing. Creating false illusions of a boy he hadn't ever spoken to before.

he said quietly, holding out his hand. The Slytherin looked at him oddly, a dirty frown on his pale face. He shook Remus's hand after a moment and left promptly.

"Oh, don't mind Severus, he's in a sour mood," the girl said hastily. She smiled warmly and brushed a few mud patches off her blue jeans. "I'm Lily," she said by way of introduction. "You're the new Gryffindor, aren't you?" she asked curiously, trying to find her wand in the puddle of murky water. After a quick cleaning spell, she began to walk with Remus, chatting idly for a while.

"Are you friends with James Potter? Oh, that's nice. He's kind of a jerk sometimes, not mean, but…insensitive. He's rather ignorant to most things, used to give me the impression that he was a shallow-minded Quidditch fool."

Remus snickered, having thought the same things within an hour of meeting his friend.

"I haven't seen you around, at breakfast or whatnot. Are you a Hufflepuff… or Ravenclaw?" Lily went scarlet and suddenly remembered she had to leave and get a birthday present for her sister.

"So she is a Slytherin," he said quietly. Before he had time to put any serious thoughts through his mind, the terrible trio came up from behind and nearly scared him into a bucket of dragon manure.

"Eh, Remmie, what's happening?" Sirius said happily, arms loaded with bags of plots and pranks waiting to be executed.

"Can you not call me that? My mother used to when I was little… Bad memories," he said shortly. Sirius bit his lip and shrugged off the icy situation with an offered bag of Every Flavor Beans and assorted chocolates.

"James said you liked them, so I picked up a few with my allowance. Not to imply that I'm not already nine months in debt…" he said with a smirk, handing the treats to a stunned Remus. Sirius mistook the look for disgust and shuffled his feet. "They aren't Vampire Pops or anything… We don't prank among ourselves, with the exception of Peter - "

"Peter, don't even start a fight -" James grabbed them both by their robes, rolling his eyes.

"Thank you," Remus gapped out, devouring a chocolate pumpkin in one bite. The boys laughed at his antis and walked along merrily back to the Three Broomsticks to challenge the Ravenclaws to Exploding Snape to win back their prank spending. Or, as Remus would find out, _he_ would win it back _for_ them.

* * *

"Cough it up," James said with a cocky tone to his voice, holding out his money bag. A very angry Ravenclaw boy dumped out his candy cash and walked away with a crowd of displeased Housemates.

"Here, you probably need it," James said, handing Remus two of the galleons. For the first time in his life, Remus felt an equal, someone just part of the crowd.

he muttered weakly, smiling.

"Oi! Rosy, s'more butterbeers!" Sirius yelled. In pure content and a state of bliss, Remus drank the brew with a light heart and a free mind, something he had lacked for many years before.

"Do you play chess?" Alex asked after Hogsmeade had lost its appeal after so many hours. Remus shook his head, only remembering that pawns captured diagonally and the way in which a knight could move.

"Want to learn?" he asked. They sat down across each other on the floor, the three other third years off in the corner conniving strange plots with evil cackles. For a long while Remus sat, watching Alex explain everything and show him what could move where. And to the great amusement of them both, it took less time to master chess than it had to win Exploding Snape.

"You're something else, you know that Remus? Some kind of prodigy or something…" Ales said with a laugh as his queen was taken again.

"I've always been lagging behind in everything, I never went to proper school, so had to teach myself from books," he said honestly, twirling a rook before placing it. "And so I had to memorize things, all the time. It comes in handy, so I'm not really complaining," said Remus. He recalled a few memories of having to memorize entire street maps and town layout so he cold steal things and find clever places to hide or fast escape routes.

"Yeah, well I wish you best of luck, in classes and all. You're gonna get hell from all the Professors, being the new kid and all. We had a transfer from Beauxbatons and God did that lad get it hard. He quit, went to a private school instead."

"Thanks for the optimistic, motivating advice," Remus mumbled sarcastically, placing Alex's king on a run.

"I didn't mean it like _that_. Just, well, you have to be a really steel-willed and intelligent person to last against our staff. Gryffindor doesn't get that many of those, let them be breathing proof," he said with a snort, jerking his thumb at James and company. Remus smiled and won his fourth chess match in a manner of minutes.

"Ok, new game. Any good at Quidditch?" he tried, zooming the chess pieces into a box across the room.

" _Definitely_ not…"

"All the better for me," he said, standing up on his chair.

"OI! Anyone up for hitting the Quidditch pitch?" he shouted above the clatter. A roar of approval rang out and an entire mass of Gryffindors scrambled to their trunks to snatch up a broom and robes.

* * *

"Thank God he sucks at something," James said with an approving nod as Remus was almost killed by a Bludger. He landed, shaking considerably, pale white with a scratch across his cheek from the sharp Snitch.

"I definitely don't like Chaser," he said in a quivering voice. The two raven-haired boys smirked, both star members of their House team.

"Is there… Something else I can play?" he wondered briefly, contemplating whether or not to give up altogether.

"Eh, sure. Our Keeper graduated last year, maybe you can fill his shoes. We only have a month to look for a new one. That twit playing now is a load of dragon dung," Sirius reminded, nodding his head. After a brief lecture on the position, Remus was in the air again on a borrowed broom, shaking quite noticeably. But as the Quaffle came flying at him he didn't feel the same fear. This was strategy, something he could do as easily as breathing or blinking. He called a time-out and smiled as the oversized Quidditch team gathered around, the mix of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws looking on from afar curiously.

"Do you guys ever run plays?"

"Hell no," one girl snorted. "We've always relied on brute force and natural talent."

"Yeah, namely James and Sirius," the other Beater said with a grin. Both boys shrugged modestly, thoroughly enjoying all the attention.

"You need a Keeper, right?"

they said, eager to get back to the game.

"I can't guarantee that I'll have any skill whatsoever in stopping goals, but I can say my plans would keep it from ever happening. Give me a chance and I'll work out enough Beater work so I never have to try and stop a shot."

The team thought for a moment, going off in a private conversation. They came back looking skeptical, but willing to try.

"Give us a preview of some plays and we'll think about it," James said.

"Besides, the only other good Keeper in Gryffindor is a tiny little fourth year girl that's too slow a flyer to cover all three hoops," Sirius added honestly.

"Alright. James, find the damn Snitch. New guy, don't suck," the captain said. With that, the team rose back into the air with an entirely different game style in store.

* * *

 **Changes this chapter:**

Added quotation marks around spoken words

Corrected obvious spelling mistakes

Omitted the word "A" [in a comment by Peter regarding Dumbledore's age] for clarity

Changed some paragraphical format for clarity

Added 's to the possessive forms of proper names

I heavily considered removing all the sentences that seem to pick up halfway through, but ultimately decided to leave them.

As usual, please let me know if I missed any glaring errors (that couldn't be considered changing content).


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